1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is generally related to shipping containers for radioactive material and particularly to a shipping container for unirradiated highly enriched uranium.
2. General Background
Shipping containers previously used for shipping unirradiated highly enriched uranium were designed to meet the requirements of 10 CFR 71 as it existed before incorporation of new international standards (IAEA Safety Series 6, 1985 Edition). Containers that were used to meet the prior standards are typically steel containers with a threaded closure, with the steel container being centered in a steel shipping drum and isolated from the drum wall with fiberboard. These containers do not meet recent changes in NRC and IAEA(International Atomic Energy Agency) standards. This leaves a need for shipping containers that meet the new standards.